G2 Esports is looking to play in back-to-back Worlds finals, but is it even realistic considering the team’s performance thus far?
G2 has been a bit shaky throughout the group stage at Worlds 2020 and didn’t manage to advance to the playoffs as the first seed. Alongside Suning, Team Liquid, and Machi Esports, group A was considered the “group of life,” and there was no doubt that G2 had to get out of the group. The European champions did in fact get out, but they showed weakness against both Liquid and Suning.
Suning ended up taking the first seed in the group, but G2 might be happy about that after seeing the quarterfinals draw. G2 will be facing LCK’s Gen.G, a team with an opposing playstyle that is arguably the weakest first seed in the playoff bracket. On paper, this quarterfinal could be the closest of them all, so both teams will have to bring their best game.
G2 can repeat last year’s performance at the 2020 World Championship
G2 might be the most successful League of Legends team in recent years, winning the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational, four LEC titles, and making it to the Worlds finals last year. No other team at the 2020 World Championship has been that dominant, so G2 might be a team to fear as the playoffs stage kicks off.
G2 has the experience and the aggression needed to win the big best-of-five series on the Worlds playoffs stage. They have been there before and know how to handle the pressure. Just like last year, G2 is going into the playoffs as the second seed from their group without being considered a heavy favorite. The underdog role suits G2 perfectly, even though every team is aware that they shouldn’t be underestimated.
If G2 manages to hit their individual form, then they can match every team at the tournament. The players on G2 all have big champion pools, which will benefit them in a best-of-five format. G2 might be a bit shaky in best-of-one games, but a long series will allow them to adapt throughout the games and build towards dominance.
Perkz needs to be a consistent carry
Looking at the individual players, bot laner Luka “Perkz” Perković might be the most important player that G2 needs to show up. In the quarterfinal, Perkz will have to bring his absolute best game when facing off against Gen.G’s Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk. Ruler is considered the best bot laner in the world by many experts, and will look to punish every mistake from his opponent.
Perkz has had a solid tournament so far, but with some mistakes made in a few games. His performances on Ashe and Jhin have been stellar, while he struggled to find success on Kalista against Suning. To match Ruler, Perkz will have to play towards comfort picks and have support Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle by his side to enable him.
Ruler will most likely be looking to play the scaling game and slowly try to build up a lead in lane. Perkz and the rest of G2 will have to interrupt the controlled play style of Gen.G by bringing their own aggression to the table. Fnatic proved that this is the way to beat Gen.G during the group stage when they targeted the mid and bot lanes heavily. By doing that, G2 jungler Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski can enable Perkz in the bot lane and set him up to carry the team’s games.
G2 will play its quarterfinal at the 2020 World Championship against Gen.G on October 18.
